Now THIS is a thriller. Over the years, viewing thrillers have become too intense for me and so I don't watch them any more, yet, I could not turn the pages fast enough in this book. There was suspense (red herrings and curve balls) and chemistry (enough to show the human aspect of things without getting overly mushy). I didn't know that this was the third book in the Vin Cooper series, so there was some back story (character expansion) that I didn't know about. Nonetheless, the way the story began and developed, I admired the way (I imagined) the author to have thought about and laid out the draft for this book in the writing of its predecessor, and the way the story ends (like a season-ender cliffhanger), how the elements have already been laid out for the succeeding book, which I look forward to reading -- after I've familiarized myself with Books 1 and 2. ( )

When first introduced to “Hard Rain”—the latest installment to the Vin Cooper series—I had no idea what to expect. Assuming that the book was going to be a typical military thriller was a huge mistake on my part. I never imagined that from the first few pages I would become glued to the book, racing along with Cooper and his partner as they met one disastrous situation after another.

When the US attaché to Turkey is murdered in gruesome fashion, Air Force Special Agent Vin Cooper and his partner—and ex-lover—Special Agent Anna Masters are tasked with solving the crime. In a foreign country, with little to go on and clear communication barriers, Vin and Masters do their best to keep the trail from drying up. The discovery of another body with ties to the US attaché seems to be a hopeful step in solving the crimes. However, as Vin and Masters soon discover nothing is straightforward in this case and trusting anyone could be life-changing mistake.

Overflowing with quick wit, sharp sarcasm and unanticipated jokes had me often stifling the giggles as the marriage between comedy and danger blend perfectly. With a staggering ending, even a reading warrior couldn’t have anticipated, Rollins has produced an international gem. This book is proof positive that you should never judge one by its cover.

Wikipedia in English

Nothing is what it seems to be in this new novel of nonstop suspense from David Rollins, internationally bestselling author of A Knife Edge. Special Agent Vin Cooper is having a hard time figuring out who the real bad guys are, as a military man’s gruesome murder draws him into a web of conspiracy that’s as pervasive and relentless as a . . .

HARD RAIN

As a special investigator for the U.S. Air Force, Vin Cooper thought he’d seen it all. But even he can’t believe his eyes this time. Colonel Emmet Portman, U.S. air attaché to Turkey, wasn’t simply murdered in his Istanbul residence. He was carefully dismembered, his body parts laid out like an exploded diagram—except for twelve missing bones, three of which show up a few days later at another grisly murder scene. And when it turns out that the dead colonel happened to have the second victim’s business card in his Rolodex, it looks as if there’s a serial killer at large.

But looks can be deceiving. As Vin and Special Agent Anna Masters investigate, inconsistencies crop up that cast doubt on their theory of the case—and hint at a shadowy plot that may be even darker and more sinister than two grotesque connected slayings. Is someone trying to shatter fragile hopes for Middle East peace, topple governments by any means necessary, and eliminate anyone who gets in the way?

Onetime lovers, now the uneasiest of partners, Cooper and Masters struggle to put aside their personal baggage as they follow a trail of carefully concealed clues from Istanbul to the Iraqi desert and beyond. As evidence of a conspiracy snakes up the chain of command, these two seasoned special agents must dodge bullets, defuse bombs, and avoid being buried alive in their frantic effort to short-circuit a plan for world domination more audacious and far-reaching than they could ever have imagined.

Vin Cooper, special investigator for the U.S. Air Force, and Anne Masters, special agent, are called in to investigate two grisly murders that seem to be the work of a serial killer. As ex-lovers, they must put their feelings aside to focus on clues that lead to a deadly conspiracy and struggle for world domination.… (more)